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[Blwe_torch]

France edge New Zealand out of world cup


Thierry's all gold: Dusautoir powers to the line


CARDIFF, 6 October - France staged a second-half fightback to beat the All Blacks 20-18 in an epic encounter at Millennium Stadium.

Trailing 13-3 in the first half, tries from Thierry Dusautoir and Yannick Jauzion for France in the second 40 saw the favourites condemned to another early exit from the IRB Rugby World Cup as Les Bleus set up a semi-final with world champions England.

France bolted out of the blocks in the second half, and repeated pressure on the All Black line paid off when centre Luke McAlister was adjudged to have blocked Jauzion as the French centre tried to reach a Jean-Baptiste Elissalde chip-over. McAlister saw yellow and Lionel Beauxis kicked the penalty.

Sebastien Chabal's entrance on 51 minutes roused French support in the stands as Les Bleus pressed forward again, rewarded when Dusautoir stepped through a tackle to finish off a sweeping move. Beauxis struck the inside of the post to level the scores at 13-13.

As McAlister returned, Dan Carter limped off to be replaced by Nick Evans. That signalled a period of sustained attack by the All Blacks, rewarded as number 8 Rodney So'oialo powered low through two Frenchmen to dump the ball over the whitewash. The score remained 18-13 as McAlister put the kick wide.

Frederic Michalak made an entrance on 67 minutes to devastating effect. He immediately powered down the left, handing off to Jauzion to dive over. With Beauxis off the field, Elissalde kicked the conversion.

A cagey opening to the first half saw veteran flanker Serge Betsen being knocked out cold and helped off the field. Then Carter dispatched a penalty to make it 3-0 with 13 minutes gone. Five minutes later, Carter, Jerry Collins and McAlister combined for the centre to power through and cross next to the posts. Carter converted, then Beauxis missed a penalty for France to leave the score at 10-0.

Carter increased the lead with a penalty on 30 minutes, before Beauxis scored a last-gasp three points to get the scoreboard moving for France.

[Blwe_torch]

France defeat All Blacks with nous



Celebrations: France will play England in the semi-final

CARDIFF, 7 October – A major tactical change and several well-timed substitutions sparked France's comeback win over New Zealand.

The French booked a semi-final with England after defeating the All Blacks 20-18 at Millennium Stadium on Saturday.

They appaeared to be out of the match, trailing 13-3 at half time, but coach Bernard Laporte rang the changes to wrest the game back.

France captain Raphaël Ibanez said it meant a lot to his players to beat the All Blacks.

"It is a great victory for all the players who gave everything on the field right until the end. We keep a lot of respect for this New Zealand team, they remain exceptional players.

"But in such a great competition as the world cup, courage and spirit make the difference and that's what happened today," he said.

Change of tactic

In the lead-up to the match New Zealand fly half Dan Carter spoke of kicking with a purpose, making sure each kick went either into space or touch. In the first half the French did just the opposite, kicking aimlessly and inaccurately.

Laporte said his side rectified that problem and it changed the outcome.

"In the first half we didn't play that well, (our) defence was waning. They were walking all over us. We kicked the ball too aimlessly and had to avoid the mistake of playing every ball.

"The players were patient, they got back to 13-6. The possession was balanced in the second half and we found space and scored tries," he said.


Black day

All Blacks veteran hooker Anton Oliver spoke of the team's disappointment at another world cup exit.

"The feeling in the sheds was like no man's land. Sort of desolate, decayed, the smell of – I don't want to dramatise it – but death, you know. But that is what it feels like, no man's land, and it is not a nice place to be."

Captain Richie McCaw was at a loss to explain his team's performance.

"We can't do anything about it now. It's going to hurt for a long, long time. I'm lost for words. We believed we could come out and play well. We didn't play as well as we could have."